Rewind machine



T. J. CROWE REWIND MACHINE Dec. 7, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 5, 1963 I l l I I I I I I I I I l I I I I l I I Cami? Q a IIII IIIIIII.

INVENTOR. 790M195 d 090v:-

A rmP/vm T. J. CROWE REWIND MACHINE Dec. 7, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 5, 1963 INVENTOR. 7170 7/96 U. CfDk/E Dec. 7, 1965 T. J. CROWE 3,222,004

REWTND MACHINE Filed Sept. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. 72 0mm d- Cmw T. J. CROWE REWIND MACHINE Dec. 7, 1965 Filed Sept. 5, 1963' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 7/70/146 d. Cyoms Tlq'l United States Patent 3,222,004 REWIND MACHINE Thomas J. Crowe, Dover, N.J., assignor to Cameron Machine Company, Dover, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 306,791 Claims. (Cl. 24256.9)

This invention relates to rewind machines and more particularly to apparatus for rewinding multiple rolls of varying diameters mounted on a single rewind shaft.

This invention) is concerned with rewind machines which receive a relatively wide mill or supply web which is drawn from a supply roll and is passed partially around several drums which may be driven. Adjacent one of the drums is a plurality of cutters or blades which cut the web into narrower strips or subwebs. The subwebs then pass around a main or contact drum, from whence the web passes to rewind shafts on which the web is wound into rewind rolls which bear against the main drum during the rewinding process. Heretofore, difliculty has been experienced due to the fact that the web material is of a non-uniform caliber or thickness throughout the length thereof so that some rewind rolls tend to have a larger diameter than other adjacent rolls when wound on the same rewind shaft. In order to overcome this difficulty some prior art devices rotated the rewind shaft at a speed slightly in excess of the speed of the rewind rolls, thus, a certain amount of slippage occurred between the rewind roll and the rewind shaft which was determined by each individual roll diameter in order to maintain the peripheral speed of each roll equal to the web feed speed. As is is well known to one skilled in the art, a number of problems were encountered, particularly while rewinding certain materials such as high slip paper or plastic films. Since during the winding operation some rewind rolls tend to build up having a smaller diameter than others due to the variations in the thickness of the web being rewound, then the peripheral surface thereof would lose contact with the main drum peripheral surface and, hence, the subweb material would wander badly olf the roll or skid, producing poor quality roll edges which render the product commercially unacceptable.

In essence, the present invention contemplates the provision of a rewind machine having a main drum, a rewind shaft, a plurality of rewind mandrels which are mounted on the rewind shaft and a like plurality of rewind rolls carried by the mandrels. Each of the mandrels is mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to the rewind shaft in order to maintain continuous contact between each of the rewind rolls and the main drum.

A feature of the invention is to provide an improved rewind machine with which contact can be maintained between the rewind rolls and the main drum when a plurality of rewind rolls are being rewound having different diameters, with which the quality of the rewind roll edge is greatly improved, with which high slip paper or plastic films or the like may be rewound with a high degree of quality, and with which webs of various thicknesses or caliber may be rewound into a quality rewind roll.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved rewind machine, with which the rewind roll may be center driven or surface driven or simultaneously center and surface driven, which is simple of construction, which is low in maintenance cost, and which is compact, convenient, practical and inexpensive.

Various other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims. a

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In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing a rewind machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a por tion of the main drum with two rewind rolls in peripheral contact therewith;

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic view showing the movement of the rewind roll as the diameter thereof increases during the rewind operation with respect to the rewind shaft;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation showing the main drum, rewind roll, mandrel assembly and rewind shaft;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing further details of the rewind shaft and mandrel assembly;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the rewind shaft and mandrel assembly; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the mandrel assembly and rewind shaft.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, and with particular reference to FIG. 1, the rewind machine comprises a front portion and a rear portion designated generally at 10 and 11, respectively. A relatively wide web of sheet material 12 is fed from mill or supply'roll 13 which is mounted for rotation on driven shaft 14 which, in turn, is mounted on support frame 15. Alternatively, shaft 14 may be allowed to rotate by virtue of the pull on the web 12 and restrained by means of a suitable brake on shaft 14 so as to provide a controlled tension in web 12 during runoff. The web 12 passes par tially around guide roll 15 which is mounted for rotation on shaft 16, edge guide 17 being provided for purposes of aligning the side edges of the web. Thence, the web passes partially around idler roll 18 and tension roll 19 carried by shaft 20 to three pull rolls 21, 22, 23 which are mounted on driven shafts 24, 25, 26 respectively. Suitable means are provided to cut the web 12 into a plurality of elongated longitudinal strips or subwebs 27. In the present embodiment, this is accomplished, byway of example, by a plurality of slitters or cutters 28 positioned adjacent roll 29 mounted on driven shaft 29'. The subwebs 26 then pass partially around main drum 30 which is mounted for rotation on driven shaft 32. Adjacent strips of webbing 27 then pass alternately to rewind rolls 34 and 36 which are formed and carried on mandrels mounted on rewind shafts 38 and 40, respectively, in a manner which will be described more fully hereinafter. As best seen in FIG. 2, a plurality of rewind rolls are mounted on each rewind shaft, two being shown. The rewind shafts 38 and 40 (FIG. 1) are supported by means of rewind arms 42 and 44, respectively, the lower ends of which are pivotally mounted on the frame 47 as at 46 and 48, respectively. 7

Any suitable means may be employed for supporting the rewind arms 42 and 44 in position while the rewind rolls 34 and 36 increase in diameter due to the web 27 being wound thereon. The means illustrated comprises an hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder having pipe connections (not shown) disposed at each end thereof. One end of the cylinder 50 is pivotally mounted on the frame 47 as at 52, while piston rod 54 extending from the other end thereof is connected to the rewind arm 42 as by means of bell crank 56. It will be appreciated that the main drum assembly 30 rotates at a constant speed and remains in a fixed position throughout the entire rewind cycle. As the diameter of the rewind roll 34 increases, ambient fluid under pressure is introduced into cylinder 50 so that the rewind arm 42 pivots about point 46 in order to maintain the nip or contact force between the rolls and the main drum 30 substantially constant. Control of the fiuid input and output to the cylinder may be provided by any satisfactory means, as desired. Means 3,. described in US. Patent No. 2,872,126 granted February 3, 1959, is suitable for use with this invention. It is noted that rear cylinder 60 which operates in conjunction with the rear rewind arms 44 operates in a similar manner to the front rewind cylinder 50 just described.

Electric motor 62 is operatively connected to and drives shafts 32, 29', 26, 25, 24, 20 and 14, and also drives rewind shafts 38 and 40 through a speed changer 64. It should be noted that the main drum 30 is driven at a constant speed throughout the entire rewind cycle, while the rewind shafts 38 and 40 are driven at variable speeds which decrease as the rewind rolls 34 and 36, respectively, increase in diameter. The drive and speed control means for the rewind shafts may be similar to that described in US. Patent No. 2,650,039 granted August 25, 1953. The rewind shafts 38 and 40 are driven at a speed slightly in excess of the web feed speed and clutch means are interposed between the rewind shaft and each of its rewind rolls so that each rewind roll determines its own rotational speed, whereby the surface speed thereof is equal to the web feed speed regardless of variations in diameter of one rewind roll with respect to other rewind rolls mounted on the same rewind shaft. In this embodiment of the invention illustrated, rotary motion is imparted to the rewind rolls partially by means of the main drum 30 which drivingly engages the periphery of the rewind rolls and partially by means of the rewind shafts 38 and 40. However, it is within the contemplation of the present invention to employ, exclusively, one or the other of the aforementioned means for imparting rotary motion to the rewind rolls.

As is well known to one skilled in the art, problems are encountered when a plurality of rewind rolls are wound on the same rewind shaft due to the fact that one rewind roll may build up slower in diameter than other rewind rolls and thereby lose contact with the main drum. As schematically shown in FIG. 3 for purposes of illustration, rewind roll 34' is provided with internal driven means or central opening 66 of larger diameter than the peripheral, external driving means or surface of rewind shaft 38'. Due to the force of gravity acting upon the weight of each individual rewind roll 34, the roll moves downwardly until the inside thereof contacts the rewind shaft 38' as at 68 and the outside periphery contacts the main drum 30' as at 70. Thus, rewind roll 34 is positioned in epicyclic-like relation with respect to the rewind shaft 38'. It will be appreciated that within a relatively large range of outside diameters each rewind roll 34' will automatically move downwardly and maintain contact at the aforementioned points 68 and 70. As shown in FIG. 3, a rewind roll having one diameter has its center at point 71, while a second rewind roll having a larger diameter has its center at point 73. It should be pointed out that the wedging effect at point 70 does not significantly affect the nip force due to the fact that at the beginning of the rewind cycle the weight of the rewind roll 34' is relatively low and consequently the force due to gravity is also low. Towards the end of the rewinding cycle when the rewind roll 34 is relatively large and heavy, the rewind arms have moved the rewind shaft 38 upwardly towards its vertical position, as indicated by the arrow 72 in FIG. 3, and, hence, the wedging component of the gravity force is relatively small. Theoretically, the device would operate until the rewind roll reached its vertical position where the periphery thereof would lose contact with the main drum 30. However, in practice it is preferred not to raise the rewind roll nearer than an angle of the order of about 30 from the vertical. It is noted that since the rewind roll 34 is always in contact at the points 68 and 70, it may be driven at either one or both of these points.

Actually, the rewind rolls 34 are formed by winding the web material 27 about a core 74 which is fixedly connected to a mandrel assembly designated generally at 76 (FIG. 2.) As best seen in FIG. 6, the mandrel assembly 76 comprises a lock ring 78, a gear member 80, a friction ring 82 and a collar 84. It should be noted that a plurality of mandrel assemblies 76 are mounted on a single rewind shaft 38, the end mandrel assemblies being provided with a lock ring 78 and the intermediate mandrel assemblies being provided with a spacer sleeve 78 (FIG. 2). FIG. 5 shows the mandrel assembly 76 partially assembled, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of it as assembled. Referring particularly to FIG. 7, the main drum 30 is in peripheral engagement with the rewind roll 34 which is wound about core 74. Collar 84 is provided with axially protruding rewind drive pins 86 for purposes of fixedly holding core 74. Rewind shaft 38 is provided with an external gear 88 extending substantially the length of the shaft and gear member is provided with an internal gear portion 92 which mesh with each other for a portion of their circumferences, respectively, as at 94 in FIG. 4. It is to be understood that the pitch diameter of the internal gear 92 is greater than the pitch diameter of external gear 88 so that the rewind roll 34 moves downwardly in a manner as described in connection with FIG. 3 whereby portion 94 corresponds to contact point 68 and contact point (FIG. 4) corresponds to point 70 (FIG. 3). In this manner rewind shaft 38 positively drives gear member 80 at a speed in excess of the speed of the web 26 for the purpose hereinbefore described.

Reverting back to FIG. 7, anti-friction bearings 96 are interposed between the collar 84 and the gear member 90, a pair of snap rings 98 being provided for axial positioning. A friction ring 82 is interposed between the collar 84 and the gear member 80, set screws 102 therein being provided for adjusting the friction ring force and thereby adjusting the rewind torque. Lock ring 78 having set screws 106 axially locks the mandrel assembly 76 in operative position.

It should be understood that mandrel assembly 77 is constructed and operates in a manner similar to that described in connection with mandrel assembly 76 and the motion of the two mandrels are synchronized by the core 74 interlocked therebetween.

Summarizing the mandrel operation, it will be seen that the rewind roll 34 is partially driven by means of its peripheral contact with main drum 30 at point 90. The remainder of the driving force is provided by means of rewind shaft 38 which drives gear member 80 through gears 88 and 92. Gear member 80 drives collar 84 which is locked to core 74 of the rewind roll 34. Since the rewind shaft 38 is driven at a speed in excess of the web feed speed, which is the same as the main drum speed, slippage occurs between gear member 80 and the friction ring 82.

It should be understood that rewind rolls 36 and rewind shaft 40 are constructed and operate in a manner similar to that described in connection with rewind roll 34 and rewind shaft 38, respectively.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention contributes means for maintaining peripheral engagement between the rewind rolls and the main drum regardless of the differential buildup of each independent rewind roll and simultaneously provides a driving means for the core of the rewind roll.

It will be understood that various changes in details, materials and arrangement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a rewind machine, a frame, a main drum mounted on said frame, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and having peripheral external cylindrical driving means, motive means for driving said rewind shaft, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels each having an internal bore, the diameter of which being greater than the diameter of said driving means, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, and said rewind shaft being mounted within said bores in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said mandrels by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of contact between each pair of mandrels and said rewind shaft being positionable for maintaining peripheral engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said main drum respectively during rewinding of multiple rolls.

2. In a rewind machine, a frame, a main drum mounted on said frame, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and having an external gear, motive means for driving said rewind shaft, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels each being provided with an internal gear of larger pitch diameter than said external gear, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, and each of said internal gears of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said external gear of said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of driving contact between said gears being positionable for maintaining continuous contact between each of the rewind rolls and said main drum respectively during rewinding of multiple rolls.

3. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a main drum mounted on said frame and having peripheral external driving means, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels mounted on said shaft, each of said mandrels having an internal bore, the diameter of which being greater than the diameter of said shaft, each pair of rewind mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, and each of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of contact between each pair of mandrels and said rewind shaft being positionable for maintaining continuous peripheral driving engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said peripheral external driving means of the main drum respectively during rewinding of multiple rolls.

4. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a main drum mounted on said frame and having peripheral external driving means, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and having an external gear, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels each being provided with an internal gear of larger pitch diameter than said external gear, each pair of rewind mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, and each of said internal gears of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said external gear of said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of contact between said gears respectively being positionable for maintaining peripheral driving engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said peripheral external driving means of the main drum respectively during rewinding of multiple rolls.

5. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a driven main drum mounted on said frame, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum, means for driving said rewind shaft at a speed in excess of the speed of said main drum, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels mounted on said shaft each of said mandrells having an internal bore, the diameter of which being greater than the diameter of said shaft, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, each of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameter, the points of driving contact between each pair of mandrels and said rewind shaft being positionable for maintaining peripheral driving engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said main drum respectively, and means for maintaining a speed differential between said rewind shaft and each of said rewind rolls during rewinding of multiple rolls.

6. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a driven main drum mounted on said frame, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum, motive means for driving said rewind shaft at a speed in excess of the speed of said main drum, means for selectively controlling the driving force of said motive means, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels mounted on said shaft each of said mandrels having an internal bore, the diameter of which being greater than the diameter of said shaft, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, each of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of driving contact between each pair of mandrels and said rewind shaft being continuously positionable for maintaining peripheral driving engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said main drum respectively during rewinding of multiple rolls.

7. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a main drum mounted on said frame and driven at a preselected substantially constant speed, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and driven at a preselected accelerating speed in excess of the speed of said main drum, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels mounted on said shaft each of said mandrels having an internal bore, the diameter of which being greater than the diameter of said shaft, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, each of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of driving contact between each pair of mandrels and said rewind shaft being positionable for maintaining peripheral engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said main drum respectively, and each of said mandrels comprising clutch means having the driving side thereof in driving engagement with said rewind shaft and the driven side thereof drivingly connected to its respective rewind roll during rewinding of multiple rolls.

8. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a driven main drum mounted on said frame and having peripheral external driving means, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and having peripheral external driving means, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels each having internal driven means, the diameter of said internal driven means being greater than the diameter of said internal driving means, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, each of said internal driven means being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said peripheral external driving means of said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of driving contact between the internal driven means of each pair of mandrels and the external driving means of said rewind shaft being continuously positionable for maintaining peripheral engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said peripheral external driving means of the main drum respectively, and each of said mandrels comprising clutch means having the driving side thereof in driving engagement with said rewind shaft and the driven side thereof drivingly connected to its respective rewind roll during rewinding of multiple rolls.

9. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a driven main drum mounted on said frame, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and having peripheral external cylindrical driving means, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels each having an internal bore for receiving said driving means, the diameter of said internal bore being greater than the diameter of said external cylindrical driving means, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, each of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said external cylindrical driving means of said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of driving contact between each pair of mandrels and the external cylindrical driving means of said rewind shaft being continuously positionable for maintaining peripheral engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said main drum respectively, each of said mandrels comprising clutch means having the driving side thereof in driving engagement with said rewind shaft and the driven side thereof drivingly connected to its respective rewind roll during rewinding of multiple rolls.

10. A rewind machine comprising a frame, a main drum mounted on said frame and having peripheral external driving means, a rewind shaft mounted on said frame adjacent said drum and having an external gear, a plurality of pairs of rewind mandrels each being provided with an internal gear of larger pitch diameter than said external gear, each pair of mandrels being adapted to carry a rewind roll, each of said internal gears of said mandrels being mounted in epicyclic-like relation with respect to said external gear of said rewind shaft by virtue of the relationship of said diameters, the points of contact between said gears respectively being continuously positionable for maintaining peripheral engagement between each of the rewind rolls and said peripheral external driving means of said main drum respectively, each of said mandrels comprising clutch means having the driving side thereof in driving engagement with said rewind shaft and the driven side thereof drivingly connected to its respective rewind roll during rewinding of multiple rolls, and means for actuating said clutch means in response to a preselected force.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,116,409 5/1938 Parks 242-18 2,143,297 1/1939 Bochmann 242--18 2,985,398 5/ 1961 Rockstrom 24265 3,010,671 11/1961 Brown 242--67.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 568,531 1/1959 Canada.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A REWIND MACHINE, A FRAME, A MAIN DRUM MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, A REWIND SHAFT MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME ADJACENT SAID DRUM AND HAVING PERIPHERAL EXTERNAL CYLINDRICAL DRIVING MEANS, MOTIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID REWIND SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF REWIND MANDRELS EACH HAVING AN INTERNAL BORE, THE DIAMETER OF WHICH BEING GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID DRIVING MEANS, EACH PAIR OF MANDRELS BEING ADAPTED TO CARRY A REWIND ROLL, AND SAID REWIND SHAFT BEING ADPATED TO CARRY A REWIND ROLL, EPICYCLIC-LIKE RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID MANDRELS BY VIRTUE OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF SAID DIAMETERS, THE POINTS OF CONTACT BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF MANDRELS AND SAID REWIND SHAFT BEING POSITIONABLE FOR MAINTAINING PERIPHERAL ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN EACH OF THE REWIND ROLLS AND SAID MAIN DRUM RESPECTIVELY DURING REWINDING OF MULTIPLE ROLLS. 